Transport container for liquids



May 19, 1964 J. BERTELS 3,133,677

TRANSPORT CONTAINER FOR LIQUIDS Filed Deo. 18, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Se?Bem/S /NVENTOR May 19, 1964 J. BERTELS 3,133,677

TRANSPORT CONTAINER FOR LIQUIDs Filed Dec. 1s, 1961 2 sheets-sheet 2 /NVE NTOP Non; m )Vo/T1 I United States Patent O 3,133,677 TRANSPORTCONTAINER FOR LIQUIDS Josef Bertels, Bendorf-Wesseling, near Cologne,Germany, assignor to Wibau Westdeutsche Industrieu.

Strassenbau Maschinen Gesellschaft In.b.H., Gelnhausen, Germany FiledDec. 18, 1961, Ser. No. 159,867 Claims priority, application GermanyDec. 20, 1960 4 Claims. (Cl. 222-185) The invention relates tocontainers used for transporting liquids .and more particularly tocontainers for transporting corrosive liquids.

These liquids, including acids and lyes, are usually transported inglass, ceramic 4or plastic containers. Usually the volume of suchspecial containers is restricted, they are also prone Ito breakage and`frequently present a source of accidents.

Other transport containers have been proposed for liquids, which aremade from metals or alloys neutral with respect to corrosive liquids.Unfortunately, the high cost of these speci-al materials is prohibitiveif it comes to the general use of such special containers.

There is another class of liquid containers, made of m-uch cheapermaterials, for example, structural steel, which are provided with :innercorrosion-proof linings. Difficulty has, however, been encountered whenlining these containers or, if need be, repairing or replacing parts ofthe linings if they become defective.

lt is the object of the present invention to produce a transportcontainer of the type described hereinabove, having an envelope as wellas top and bottom walls provided with a lining insensitive to orsubstantially resisting the particular liquid to be transported, thelining being capable of easy application, repair and/or removal, if thenecessity arises.

Throughout the specification and the claims, the term corrosive liquidis intended to denote any substance in liquid state liable to attack,deteriorate or otherwise impair the material of the container,and/orsuler untoward changes owing to the chemical reaction .with saidmaterial.

According to one of Ithe major features of the invention, the containerenvelope is provided with flanges which are covered all the way to theirends with the protective lining; also, the walls, having the liningattached thereto and extending to their edges, are connected to theilanges in a detachable fashion. rIhis arrangement allows the envelopeand the walls to be fitted with the protective lining before Iassemblyof the container.

Owing to these structural features, the lined surfaces remain accessibleat all times so that they may easily and quickly be applied. ShouldIsome damage occur to any part of the container, the protective walllining or part thereof can be removed, the discontinuous or otherwisefaulty portion repaired either on the envelope or the walls themselves,or even replaced completely.

Itis another feature of the inventive transport container that theassembling flanges are arranged within the container envelope. The outercontours are consequently not affected or increased by the provision ofthe flanges accommodated in a convenient Way within the inner spaceproper.

According to a more Vparticular feature of the .invention, the flangesare formed by bending peripheral portions of the container envelopefirst inwardly and then back at an oblique angle, until they reach theinner envelope walls. Such bent flanges made from the envelope materialitself are easy to produce and they provide a high degree of stability.Sharp corners or edges are entirely avoided, facilitating thus theapplication of the protective lining to the inner envelope walls.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of the invention willbe readily appreciated as the same becomes better runderstood byreference to the lfollowing Idetailed description, when considered withthe accompanying drawings, wherein FIG. 1 is an elevational view of atransport container for liquids, according to the present invention;

` FIG. 2 a top view of the container;

FIG. 3 shows an enlarged sectional view taken along line ill-'III ofFIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 illustrates one of the assembling iianges of the container on amuch larger scale.

The transport container for corrosive liquids according to theinventionhas la cubical envelope 1 made, eg., from structural steel.Flange portions 2, 3` are formed at the top land bottom edges of .theenvelope where the material is bent inwardly and then back to theenvelope, at an oblique angle. Sharp corners or edges are avoided in the[formation of the flange portions 2, 3. The bends form 'inner spaces `lwhich accommodate portions of a flat-iron frame `6. Before the envelopeedges are bent back, fthe flat-iron `frame is secured to the envelope 1,eg. by welding at several locations, whereby the bending Iprocess isgreatly facilitated. The frame 6 lends the transport container a highdegree of rigidity. The flat-iron frame portions i6 carry a number ofuniformly distributed, outwardly `directed threaded bolts 7 which servefor 'attaching the top Aand bottom walls 9 and 1t), respectively. Thetop 9 has a peripheral portion 11 corresponding to the substantiallyhorizontal flange portion 3, and upwardly tapering intermediate portionshaving a central filling port 12. The Aport has -a anged portion 14adapted to hold a cover I13:y (las shown in FIG. l) having 4a handle forthe ease of manipulation. The cover may be replaced by a spout 46 aswill be described later in more detail in connection with FIGS. 2 and 3,where the latter is shown.

'Ille bottom Wall 10 is flat and is preferably provided with legs :15which are made high enough so that a forklift truck or similar devicecan engage the transport container from below, for lifting, transportingand depositing the same.

Before .the envelope and the top and bottom walls of the container areassembled, Ia suitable corrosion-proof lining is applied thereto, whichwill protect the container from the attacking action of the liquidtransported there- Thus, the inner walls of the envelope 1 are fittedwith a lining 18, the top wall 9 with la lining 19 and the bottom 10with a lining 20l (FIG. 3). As a matter of example, but without anyintent of limitation, the linings 18-20 are shown in the drawings asconsisting of rubber. The lining 18 is bent around and follows thesmooth contours of the flange portions Z and 3, extending all the way tothe outer sunface ofthe envelope 1. FIG. 4 shows on an enlarged scalehow the lining 18, as well yas the lining ,19,of the top wml 9, extendacross the bolt connection 7 to the outer envelope surface. In theregion of the discharge port 12, the lining 19 is preferably made toextend to the outer edge of the flange 14.

The lining portions 18-20Hrnay be secured to the respective envelopeyandv wall sections by any suitable means, eg. vulcanization, cementingor other expedient suitable for the particular lining material. Theassembling, tting, securing and associatedsteps can be performed withoutdifficulty while all the parts are readily accessible. Should at anytime a repair of the lining surfaces become necessary, this can beperformed upon disassembling the container.

For the assembly, the top and bottom walls 9 and 10 are both attached toflanges 2, 3 by means of the bolts '7 and nuts 22. It is understood thatthe bolts 7 may be attached to the frame portions 6 by any conventionalexpedient. Between the adjoining lining portions 1S, on the one hand,and 19 or 20, on the other, a packing strip 23 is preferably applied,particularly, if the lining consists of a material less resilient thanrubber, for example, plastic. The nuts 22 are tightened until therespective layers of the lining material, with the interposed packingstrip, form a tight seal against leakage of the liquid contained in thetransport container.

With a view to reinforcing the container and making it more resistant tostrains occurring during transportation, an inner strutting is appliedat about half height, consisting of tubular members 25 connected to theenvelope 1 by means of welded-on flange-like plates 25. As best visiblein FIG. 3, the members 2S have attached thereto a substantially verticaltubular member 27 extending about midway toward the bottom wall 16. Themember 27 also has a welded-on liange-like plate 23 from which thebottom wall may be suspended. Before their assembly into the container,the members 25, 27 and the plates 26, 2d, all consisting e.g. ofstructural steel, are provided with a corrosion-proof coating orcovering 29 made, for instance, of rubber. Central threaded bolts 30, 31with fitting outer nuts 32, 33 are respectively used for securing theplates Z6, 23 to the envelope l and the bottom wall of the container.The latter both have cylindrical recesses 34 provided with central boresthrough which the bolts 3b, 31 protrude. Thus the attaching elements forthe members 25, 27 do not extend beyond the outer surfaces of thecontainer.

For emptying the container, a circular aperture 3S is provided in thebottom wall lil, ending in a discharge orifice 36 to which a rubber hoseor the like may be at` tached. The closure means consists of a sphericalor ball-shaped member 37 resting on the inner edge of the aperture 35and carried by a fork-shaped lever 3S (FIG. 2), the latter beingpivotally attached to a horizontal shaft 39 secured to the bottom 1t).The lever 3S has connected thereto a chain 4t) reaching through a sleeve49 forming part of one of the members 25, and upward to the top wall 9.

A socket 41 is provided in the top wall and surrounds closely acylindrical guide piece Sti at the upper end of the chain 4t). The guidepiece 5@ is fitted with a handle 42 above the socket 4l. ln its restposition, the ball member 37 vcloses the aperture 35; when the chain 40is raised by means of the handle 42, the discharge aperture is clearedso that the liquid is emptied from the container. Instead of the chainand the guide piece as shown, a rod or similar member may be used to thesame effect.

The ball member, the lever, the chain, the guide piece and the otherassociated members of the closure means are preferably also made frommaterial not affected by the substance to be stored and/ or transportedin the container.

The container, resting on its legs l5, can easily be filled through thefilling port 12 with the corrosive liquid to be transported. The cubicalshape of the container has been found most advantageous for aspace-saving and easy transportation, eg. on a truck or similar vehicle.Both transporting and storage spaces can thus be fully exploited. At theplace of destination, each container may be brought individually to thedischarging station, e.g. by means of a crane, fork-lift truck or thelike. After having connected a hose to the orifice 36, or appropriatelypositioned or suspended the container above the tank or basin into whichthe transported liquid is to be discharged, the closure means is openedwith the handle 42. Once emptied, the container may then be taken backto the filling station for subsequent trips.

In some cases it might prove advantageous to tilt the container, wherebythe top port 12 can be used both for filling and emptying. This isfeasible with the inventive container without any structural changes ormodifications, since the bolts 30 in the lateral recesses 34 aresuitably designed for this purpose. In particular, the bolts 30 are madelong enough so that, in addition to the nuts 32, separate outer nuts 43can be screwed thereon, for attaching hollow pivots 44. These pivotshave each a closed bottom 45 to which said nuts 43 are fastened, and adiameter just slightly smaller than the inner clearance of the recesses34. Two such pivots may be attached, for example, to opposite sides ofthe container for easy handling and transportation by means of a rollingframe, fork-lift device or the like.

With a view to facilitating the emptying of the container through theport 12 and the spout 46 attached thereto, the latter is fitted with anair tube 47. When tilting the container around the pivots 44, the liquidmay be emptied through the spout 46 while air tends to rush in throughtube 47 to replace the discharged material. It will be understood thatwhen attaching the spout 45 to the liange 14 of port 12, it will beturned in a radial direction perpendicular to the two pivots 44, inwhich the container is tilted for the emptying process.

For increasing the stability of the container envelope, and forproviding a more convenient means for tilting, the liquid containeraccording to the present invention can be fitted with prismatic insteadof cylindrical members 25, as has been fully described and illustratedin applicants copending patent application Serial No. 156,313, filedDecember 1, 1961, and entitled Tiltable Transport Container for PourableBulk Material.

The transport container for corrosive liquids according to the presentinvention is preferably fitted with additional legs 48 attached to thetop wall 9. This enables two or more containers to be stacked above eachother, which is a space-saving expedient for both storage rooms andtransporting vehicles. The bottom legs l5 are given a shape and size tofit into the upper legs 48 whereby stability is greatly enhanced.

It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing disclosurerelates only to a preferred embodiment of the invention and that it isintended to cover all changes and modifications of the example describedwhich do not constitute departures from the spirit and scope of theinvention as set forth in the appended claims.

In particular, it will be evident to those skilled in the art that theinventive container is adapted to hold any type of liquid, for examplebeverages, chemicals, fuels, etc. Accordingly, the lining surfaces, theinner strutting members as well as the parts of the closure means incontact with the liquid may be made of any material, such as rubber,plastics, synthetic resins, or other suitable organic materials, eg.guttapercha, resisting attack or deterioration from the particularliquid in question. It is also deemed to be within the scope of theinvention to use lining surfaces made of metals neutral with respect tothe liquids, or to apply enamel-coated lining materials instead of therubber liners described and illustrated hereinabove.

I claim:

l. A container for transporting corrosive liquids and being adapted fornesting beneath and above similar containers, comprising an envelope, atop wall and a bottom wall made of non-corrosive materials, ange meansformed by peripheral portions of said envelope between they latter andsaid walls, said flange means including substantially horizontalportions extending inwardly from the outer surface of said envelope andadjoining terminal portions extending at an oblique angle with respectto said envelope and connecting the inner surface thereof in a regionspaced apart from said walls, and corrosionproof lining means coveringsubstantially all of the inner surfaces of said envelope, said top walland said bottom wall, for protection yagainst said liquids, said liningmeans being detachably secured to said flange means, wherein saidhorizontal and said terminal flange means portions enclose with saidenvelope a continuous space,

further comprising a frame within said space, and fastening meansattached to said frame for securing said top wall, said bottom wall andsaid lining means to said envelope.

2. A container according to claim 1, further comprising packing meansbetween the envelope lining means, on the one hand, and at least one ofsaid top wall and said bottom wall lining means, on the other, forproviding a leak-proof seal in the region of said flange means and saidfastening means.

3. A container for transporting corrosive liquids and being adapted fornesting beneath and above similar containers, comprising an envelope, atop wall and a bottom Wall made of non-corrosive materials, ange meansformed by peripheral portions of said envelope between the latter andsaid walls, said iiange means including substantially horizontalportions extending inwardly from the outer surface of said envelope andadjoining terminal portions extendingl at an oblique angle with respectto said envelope and connecting the inner surface thereof in a regionspaced apart from said Walls, and corrosion-proof lining means coveringsubstantially all of the inner surfaces of said envelope, said top walland said bottom Wall, for protection against said liquids, said liningmeans being detachably secured to said flange means, further comprisingstrutting means connecting the inner surfaces of said envelope, saidstrutting means including members connecting at least two oppositelateral envelope surfaces, and a member depending from said connectingmembers and adapted to hold Asaid bottom wall attached thereto, andcorrosion-proof coating means on said strutting means for protectionagainst said liquids.

4. A container for transporting corrosive liquids and vner surfaces ofsaid envelope, said top wall and said bottom Wall, for protectionagainst said liquids, said lining means being detachably secured to theiange means, further comprising a lling aperture in said top Wall, anemptying aperture in said bottom wall, and closure means for saidemptying aperture manually operable from without the container, saidclosure means including a spher ical member adapted to close saidemptying aperture from within, a lever pivotally attached to said bottomwall and holding said spherical member, and a chain leading from saidlever to said top wall for selective manual closing and opening of saidemptying aperture.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 534,688Green Feb. 26, 1895 1,324,445 George Dec. 9, 1919 1,367,231 Boyer Feb.1, 1921 1,709,701 Althoi Apr. 16, 1929 1,799,234 Huff Apr. 7, 19312,652,174 Shea et al. Sept. 15, 1953 2,872,079 Moore Feb. 3, 1959

1. A CONTAINER FOR TRANSPORTING CORROSIVE LIQUIDS AND BEING ADAPTED FORNESTING BENEATH AND ABOVE SIMILAR CONTAINERS, COMPRISING AN ENVELOPE, ATOP WALL AND A BOTTOM WALL MADE OF NON-CORROSIVE MATERIALS, FLANGE MEANSFORMED BY PERIPHERAL PORTIONS OF SAID ENVELOPE BETWEEN THE LATTER ANDSAID WALLS, SAID FLANGE MEANS INCLUDING SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTALPORTIONS EXTENDING INWARDLY FROM THE OUTER SURFACE OF SAID ENVELOPE ANDADJOINING TERMINAL PORTIONS EXTENDING AT AN OBLIQUE ANGLE WITH RESPECTTO SAID ENVELOPE AND CONNECTING THE INNER SURFACE THEREOF IN A REGIONSPACED APART FROM SAID WALLS, AND CORROSIONPROOF LINING MEANS COVERINGSUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF THE INNER SURFACES OF SAID ENVELOPE, SAID TOP WALLAND SAID BOTTOM WALL, FOR PROTECTION AGAINST SAID LIQUIDS, SAID LININGMEANS BEING DETACHABLY SECURED TO SAID FLANGE MEANS, WHEREIN SAIDHORIZONTAL AND SAID TERMINAL FLANGE MEANS PORTIONS ENCLOSE WITH SAIDENVELOPE A CONTINUOUS SPACE, FURTHER COMPRISING A FRAME WITHIN SAIDSPACE, AND FASTENING MEANS ATTACHED TO SAID FRAME FOR SECURING SAID TOPWALL, SAID BOTTOM WALL AND SAID LINING MEANS TO SAID ENVELOPE.